According to a source from the municipalities, the mayors invite the population to sign the document online, highlighting that 7,500 signatures are needed, by 13 April, so that the petition can be debated in plenary by the deputies.

According to the mayors, quoted in a press release from Baião City Council, “the aim [of the petition] is to ensure a more efficient connection between the municipalities and alleviate the growing traffic problems affecting the region”.

The initiative by the four socialist mayors highlights that the bypass to the National Road 211 (EN211) was conceived as “a fundamental axis” connecting those municipalities to motorways 4 and 11, at the Recesinhos Junction (Penafiel). However, it also highlights the lack of an alternative to the only existing bridge, located at the entrance to the city of Marco de Canaveses, which “has caused frequent traffic jams and negatively impacted the local economy and the quality of life of residents”.

The mayors request that the Assembly of the Republic intervene to guarantee the construction of a new bridge and the respective connections to the EN211, through Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP).

Anyone interested in signing the petition can do so here: https://participacao.parlamento.pt/initiatives/4767